25 May 2012, early morning
Like everyone else on the planet, I recently watched The Avengers. It was pretty good for much of the film, as then ends off pretty great. My main concern when I first heard they were making the film was how they would avoid turning the movie into Ironman III. Joss Whedon did an amazing job giving each character in the ensemble their time to shine. It really did feel like a well balanced film about a team, not individual heroes. Being a Joss Whedon film we also have a turbo-foxy strong female lead, Scarlet Johansen, doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to moving the story forward. I think her character would have been an after thought if this project was being run by someone else. The only character that I felt suffered in the film was poor Hawkeye. I think Jeremy Renner plays the part well enough, but he feels a bit out of place for much of the film. His character is a bit too serious and brooding, and his role in the group seems to overlap the Blackwidow’s. As many others have said, Mark Ruffollo was an amazing Hulk. My favorite part (and line) in the film comes when he transforms into the hulk the second time. The plot of the movie makes enough sense to be fun. There is Loki, evil space aliens, that cube the Nazi’s were using to power their laser guns, etc. The Avengers is very much a comic book movie, much like the first Ironman film. It doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is a lot of humour mixed in with the action and (occasional) drama. You can see Whedon’s mark throughout the film. Hopefully now that he’d wildly successful we’ll get a second season of Firefly.
The official The Avengers website.
[4] Movies
25 May 2012, early morning
I liked Captain America much more than I thought I would. I never found the superhero particularly interesting or exciting as a character, but the film really makes his story quite captivating. I suspect a big part of that success is due to Chris Evans doing a great job playing the role. He seems pitch perfect for the part. The film starts with (an incredibly scrawny) Chris Evans trying to get I to the army. He’s so sickly that’s not going to happen. We get to see he has some heart, but not much else. From there the film follows his transformation into Captain America. I thought they did a great job showcasing his super strength, agility, etc. Mr Smith plays the Red Skull and is awesome, of course. This films definitely worth checking out. Who doesn’t like to watch people fight the Nazi’s?
The official Captain America website.
Movies
25 May 2012, early morning
My recent stint of watching comic book movies began with X-Men: First Class, which just popped up on Netflix. I should start by saying the film is so much better than the last two X-Men films, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men III. (Bryan Singer was invovled in this film, being credited in part with the story, which might explain why it wasn’t horrible.) The cast is pretty awesome, with James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender playing Professor X and Magneto respectively. They both do an amazing job with their roles. There are also few pretty enjoyable cameos. The film is an origin story for the X-Men, taking place during the early days of the cold war. The super villain was a pleasent surprise. As with all X-Men films there are lots of cool super powers and people doing interesting things with them. You should watch this.
The official X-Men: Frist Class website.
[1] Movies
